Thursday, February 2, 2017

Mindful of the Moment - Part 1 - Reducing Stress

Most of us careen through life on
auto-pilot, taking very little thought to what we are doing, or what is
happening around us. We lose out on the hugs that God sends us all day long when
we mindlessly accomplish our to-do list for the day.

We keep our nose in our phone or
tablet and are oblivious to what God is doing all around us. God reminds us to
be still and to realize that He is God, and there is no other (Psalm 46:10).

Take a moment to breathe deeply,
tune into God's Spirit's direction within and slow down mentally, physically,
emotionally and spiritually. What is happening in us and around us in this one present
moment of time?

Purposeful attention reaps many
rewards for us, because we are paying attention to both our circumstances and
God's Spirit within. We accomplish more with our time, energy and effort.

We focus on what we are doing
rather than on the disappointments and missed opportunities of the past, or on
worrying about the future.

Uncluttering our mind helps us to
make wiser decisions in the present moment. We give our full and undivided
attention to the details right in front of us and we do a better job.

Since we no longer burn the
candle from both ends, we stay in better health, we spend time with the loved
ones we cherish, we ignore distractions and better enjoy accomplishing the job
at hand.

We keep paper and pen handy to
jot down ideas, reminders and plans of action that God reveals to us as we wait
on Him - praying continually as we accomplish His will for our day.

Multi-tasking is often revered in
today's society; but it is destructive in so many ways. Instead, we can detach
from the chaos around us; take a stride back, quiet our mind, and make Jesus our
center.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to center on
You and Your will for our life, rather than on our own plans and purposes. Give
us Your peace and joy to sustain us in the world of heartbreak and
disappointments. Lead us in a solid, level path because of our enemies (Psalm
27:11).

Open our spiritual eyes and ears so
that we are aware of the divine appointments that You lead us to each day. Help
us to make use of every opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with
anyone willing to listen. Do not allow the loss of anyone's soul to be on our
hands because we are too busy or too disobedient to obey Your promptings to share
the Good News with anyone willing to listen (Ezekiel 3:18).

Thought for the Day:

Stress from daily living will put
us in an early grave, unless we learn to live in the Spirit and not fulfill the
desires of our flesh. - Galatians 5:15-25

About Me

In yearbook class in college I met a vivacious redhead who introduced me to Jesus Christ through the Biblical Roman’s Road to Salvation. On that day I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and entered a love relationship that grows sweeter by the day. I started this blog at the urging of my husband and several church friends who enjoy reading what God teaches me on a daily basis. I pray it encourages you as well.